Fuel crunch bruises bus budgets

A steep rise in prices for diesel fuel and gasoline has forced school bus operators to consider ways to minimize the effects on their transportation programs. Jerry Tatum, transportation director at Biloxi (Miss.) Public Schools, said he will be forced to raise per-mile rates for field trips. “We’ve got to break even,” he said. “I’m going to have to start charging more, the question is, ‘Can the schools afford to pay it?’” Tatum said his monthly fuel bill has risen from approximately $3,500 in September 1999 to about $5,000 in February 2000. And fuel prices continued to rise in March. “We’ll just have to ride it out,” he said. Rob Brooks, fleet maintenance supervisor at Sarasota (Fla.) County Schools, said the steep rise in fuel prices will play havoc with his budget. In mid-March, he was paying 95 cents per gallon for diesel and $1 a gallon for gasoline, more than double the prices of a year earlier. “We figure to run out in April,” he said, referring to his fuel budget. In addition to forcing the school district to dip into its budget reserves, the rising fuel costs could place other stresses on the program. Brooks said he might have to trim his technician training budget to compensate for the higher fuel prices. Virgil Miller, vehicle maintenance manager at the school district in Covington, Ky., said his fuel costs are running about $2,300 more per month than at the same time last year. He operates 27 school buses. Ken McCoy, executive director of the Antelope Valley School Transportation Agency, a joint powers authority in Southern California, said the fuel crisis has renewed his enthusiasm for alternative fuel, such as CNG. “You can’t compromise safety, but there are a lot of things you can do to reduce your costs,” he said.

Man arrested in Florida bus stop abduction

In Gainesville, Fla., James P. Johnson was being held on $1 million bond for allegedly abducting 10-year-old Jessica Rodriguez after she was got off a school bus. The March 6 kidnapping took place in a rural area in Gilchrist County, about 30 miles from Gainesville. Jessica and her two younger sisters, ages 4 and 8, had just been dropped off at the end of the long dirt driveway that leads to their home when a man in a green sport utility drove up and abducted Jessica while her sisters watched. Jessica’s mother, Jennifer Graham, said she usually walks to the end of the driveway to meet her daughters but had fallen asleep that day. The bus driver told authorities that he did not see a man or a vehicle near the bus stop. Three days after the abduction, Graham appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to call for her daughter’s return. “We are praying for both of you,” she said in an appeal to the kidnapper. “Please bring my baby back home to us.” Later the same day, Jessica walked into a Wal-Mart store in Gainesville and told employees, “Call my mom. My name is Jessica.” She was reported in good condition. Johnson, 38, was charged with kidnapping a person under 13 with the purpose of committing lewd and lascivious or sexual acts. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole.

Girl’s heroics help save bus

In Ham Lake, Minn., a 12-year-old girl’s quick actions helped to control a school bus after the driver suffered a stroke. The bus, which was transporting 40 middle-school students to school on March 15, swerved out of control and clipped a parked car after Willis Walstad, 73, suffered a stroke. Samantha Redden said she made her way to the front of the bus and screamed at Walstad to take his foot off the gas pedal and put on the brakes. When Walstad didn’t respond, Redden started to put her foot on the brake. At that point, Walstad braked the bus to a stop. Redden then turned off the ignition. None of the students was injured, and Walstad was reported in good condition.